The UConn Huskies have just been handed their first loss of the season. Relying on Paige Bueckers, the pre-season National Player of the Year favorite, as usual, seemed to be the plan but it cost the team heavily against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Hannah Hidalgo and Co. were more than comfortable at home taking down their third top 5 opponent of the year. And yet, for one UConn insider, Hidalgo does not hold a candle to Bueckers and is far from equaling Caitlin Clark.

Talking about the 79-68 loss on Locked on UConn‘s live broadcast, host Mark Zanetto calls out a commenter praising Hannah Hidalgo as “generational“, a term commonly used to describe Clark as well.

“Can we stop calling every player generational?” Zanetto asks. While he doesn’t disagree, “Hannah Hidalgo is amazing,” he also points out, “But God, that is just such an overplayed adjective in my opinion.”

“She doesn’t have Caitlin Clark’s range first off. At 5’6″, she needs help. I’m not trying to be a j-rk but I’m gonna tell you, when she gets to the next level, when she plays against bigger guards, they’re going to make her go to the hole. She’s not Steph Curry, I’m just saying.”

Against the Huskies, Hidalgo finished with 29 points, 10 boards, 8 assists, and 3 steals. Notably, it was her third game with at least 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists against a ranked opponent, which ties her with Caitlin Clark and Sabrina Ionescu.

With Olivia Miles injuring her left ankle early on in the game, the pressure on her backcourt buddy was even higher. And Hidalgo more than delivered, especially her signature 3-pointer at the buzzer ending the third quarter. UConn had been hot at pursuit on the scoreboard but the night eventually ended in Notre Dame’s favor.

Nevertheless, Zanetto said, “She’s awesome, like, give me Hannah Hidalgo all day. She’s a fantastic defensive player…(but) she can only go right. Did you notice that when they made her go left, she didn’t do anything? So she’s a work in progress; let’s not crown people when they’re sophomores in college.”

While the host agrees he’s guilty of doing the same with UConn’s Sarah Strong, he also points out the need to not put these young players on a pedestal all the time. They’re still in college, still growing.

As for Bueckers, the UConn star had a good night with 25 points, the rest of the Huskies falling short put a blemish on the team’s 8-0 record for the season. Having already won the NPOY once in 2021, Bueckers knows the level she needs to put up for another chance at the award. Caitlin Clark herself won it twice, and maybe it was only because the ‘Paige Buckets’ was injured and unable to give her all.

Nevertheless, with this latest win, Hannah Hidalgo is still putting up a good fight.

Hannah Hidalgo knows her energy helps the Fighting Irish…well, fight

Notre Dame coach Niele Ivey was all praises for her star sophomore after defeating a powerhouse last night. Calling her “fantastic,” Ivey how Hidalgo it’s not just her threes but how playing with all her heart “ignites” the rest of the team. And the player herself knows it.

“I know I’m that energy piece for my team, so I try to bring it, not only for every game, but for every practice…,” Hidalgo said after the game, per On3. “I know my team needs that, and I know they feed off of that, so I’m trying to be consistent and bring that energy always.”